1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of updating firmware stored in battery pack memory with that battery pack attached to a main device such as a microcomputer.
2. Description of the Related Art
A battery pack that supplies electric power to a device such as a laptop microcomputer is provided with memory to store firmware that controls rechargeable battery charging and discharging. By controlling rechargeable battery charging and discharging with firmware stored in memory, battery pack safety can be improved and rechargeable battery degradation can be reduced. Battery pack firmware is loaded into memory in a process step at the factory. However, the factory loaded firmware is not always the ideal code. If the firmware is less than ideal, detrimental effects such as reduced battery safety or reduced battery life can result. To prevent these types of detrimental effects, apparatus and methods for updating battery pack firmware have been developed.
Refer to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publications Nos. 2008-71149, 2001-275270, and 2002-33824.